Longmont history doesn't have to be 'old'

Saturday symposium focuses on finding history close to hand

LONGMONT -- Saturday's first lesson: History doesn't have to mean pioneers and pretty houses.

It can be 19th-century guys with bizarre beards.

Or 1950s vacation photos.

Or sites and homes associated with history that's out of the mainstream.

"Every community in Colorado has its own stories," said Patrick Eidman, a preservation planner for History Colorado. "And sometimes it only takes a small amount of digging to find it."

That's one of the ideas behind Historic Longmont, a local "history fair" that runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road.

If you go

Historic Longmont: It's Everyone's Story

What: Symposium on local, regional and state efforts to preserve and expand "historic legacies."

Where: Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road

When: 9:30 p.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Speakers begin at 10 a.m.

Who: Speakers include Patrick Eidman of History Colorado, Jamie Seemiller of the Denver Public Library and Dori Spence of Longmont's History and Mystery Tour.

Cost: Free.

Before coming: RSVP is encouraged but not required; call 303-651-8764.

The symposium will include tips on researching a home, funding a preservation project, recording neighborhood histories and getting grants and tax credits for landmark properties -- but will also take a look at what's being done statewide to broaden the meaning of "historic."

Jamie Seemiller of the Denver Public Library's "Creating Communities" project has been immersed in that lately. The project, established with a federal grant, sets up what Seemiller jokingly calls a "stripped-down Facebook," a place where those focused on a particular historic topic can come together and trade information and photos.

The website, http://creativecommunities.denverlibrary.org, is integrated with the library's own historic archives, which means that these bits and pieces are also becoming part of the record -- and that those using it can dip into the records to broaden their discussion.

"What we want to do is collect more of the public's history," Seemiller said. "We have a lot of older history, such as Native American history and pioneer history. But people also ask us 'What was Denver like in the 60s? Or the 80s? Or the 50s?' And we don't always have that."

In Eidman's case, the push is to find more "under-reported" places, off the beaten paths of the old churches and Arts and Crafts homes.

Both Eidman and Seemiller are speakers at Saturday's event, along with storyteller Dori Spence, known for her downtown Longmont "History and Mystery Tour." Spence's talk will focus on three prominent faces in Longmont history: Alonzo Allen, the first to build a cabin in the area; wealthy community leader William H. Dickens, builder of the Dickens opera house; and Elizabeth Thompson, a founding member of the Chicago Colorado Colony and namesake of Thompson Park.

"I feel like these people started the heart of Longmont beating, and we're keeping it going, hopefully," Spence said.

And despite her early focus Saturday, the last thing Spence wants is for history to feel remote.

"My mantra is we are re-living history," she said. "We may look different. We may have different circumstances. But basically, we're following through on what they started."

The speakers will begin at 10 a.m.

City planner Brien Schumacher said the event may become the first in a series.

"We want to give the community information about what's going on, not just in Longmont, but around the state," he said

And for those whose interest is mainly in designating a local landmark, help will be there on starting the process, Schumacher said. It usually takes about two or three months to designate a local historic structure; state and national designations can be significantly longer.

Longmont currently has 122 designated historic structures, along with two nationally recognized historic districts.

Admission to Saturday's event is free. Those planning to come are encouraged to call 303-651-8303 to make sure there's enough seating.

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